Empire of the Daleks
by ajfankeith
Summary: The Doctor must travel to the end of time itself; to avert a catastrophe.
1. Chapter 1

Empire of the Daleks

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Doctor Who and its characters, which belong to the BBC._

_-O-_

_I wrote this story in the late 1990's for a couple of friends, who are Doctor Who fans. I only kept a printed copy and have now decided to transcribe it to the computer; and I am also posting it onto the Fanfic site at the same time, in case anyone would like to read it. The story is 'old school' Doctor Who: before the more 'modern' series (starting in 2005) was even contemplated. At the time when this was originally written, it was not known whether Doctor Who would ever return to our TV screens!_

_-O-_

Chapter 1 - Invasion

The huge spaceship hung menacingly in the pink sky above the surface of the planet Gallifrey. To many hapless inhabitants of so many other worlds; it had become a familiar sight. Many electronic eyes scoured the terrain below for a suitable landing site. Aboard the craft, the rasping voice of the Dalek Emperor barked out its orders on the bridge.

"We will land in this desert area; near the Timelord's city. Prepare to set down and disembark!"

The three Dalek drones handling the controls all chorused in unison, "We obey!"

The Dalek Emperor's shining golden head turned so that its eye-stalk faced a monitor screen. Operating a control with its arm, the Emperor began to speak again, "Attention all Daleks! We will land near the Timelord's city in a few moments. The supreme Commander will lead a landing party of four and they will travel to the city to give the Timelords our ultimatum. If they do not agree to our demands; they will be exterminated!"

The giant, round bulk of the spaceship cast a dark shadow on the Gallifrean landscape as the craft descended onto the barren surface of the ancient world. The legs of the spaceship appeared from its underside and gently touched the hard, rough terrain; like tentacles feeling for a place to cling.

Inside the city of the Timelords, the arrival of the visitors did not cause undue concern. The city was virtually impregnable and the Timelords were expecting the Daleks to visit their world at some stage in history; such was their vast knowledge of time and space. Nevertheless, they decided that an absent member of their race should be on hand to help deal with the situation.

Inside the control room of the Tardis, the Doctor was busy adjusting his instruments on the central console when a light began flashing right in front of him. His head suddenly jerked back in surprise and his facial expression turned to a worried frown.

"Oh dear, dear!" he exclaimed, "What do they want with me, I wonder?"

A pretty girl with curly brown hair and clear blue eyes looked up from the electronic book that she had been studying and spoke, "What's the matter, Doctor?"

"It's the Timelords!" the Doctor replied, still wearing his worried look, "They want me to return to Gallifrey!"

"Can't you just tell them that you don't want to go?"

"My dear Jade, I'm afraid that I cannot ignore the summons! In fact, the Tardis is already under their control and heading back to my home planet right now!"

Before the Doctor had finished his sentence; the Tardis materialised within the Timelords' city.

"I suppose we had better go and discover the reason for my visit!" the Doctor said as he flicked a switch to open the doors of the Tardis. As the Doctor and Jade stepped outside, they were greeted by an elderly man dressed in long, maroon robes. He bore a resemblance to the Doctor himself, but looked older.

"Welcome back!" the old man said to the Doctor, then, turning to Jade he smiled and said, "and who have we here?"

"This is Jade," replied the Doctor, "she is from twenty-second century Earth. I rescued her from the neutron wars!"

"Hello!" Jade addressed the old man.

"Jade; this is Professor Gann. He is one of my old tutors," the Doctor said.

"I'm delighted to meet you!" Professor Gann replied and smiled at Jade again.

"Well," the Doctor enquired, "What brings me to Gallifrey, I'd like to know?"

"We are hoping that you might be of assistance to us my friend," the Professor replied, "You see, we think you have just the experience required to deal with our visitors!"

The Professor pushed a button in front of him and a picture appeared on a large viewing screen. The scene showed part of the desert outside the Timelords' city and, advancing towards the camera, were four creatures that the Doctor recognised immediately. "Daleks!" he exclaimed, "On Gallifrey?"

"Yes!" confirmed the Professor, "We always knew that they would visit us one day; and that day has arrived!"

"Why are they here?" asked the Doctor with a puzzled look, "They must know that the Timelords' city is impregnable!"

"You are quite correct," continued the Professor, "but I do not think they have come to conquer; not this time. But, they have come to take something that we have and they are desperate to get hold of!"

"Yes, of course!" the Doctor tapped his forehead with his finger, "Time travel!"

"But Doctor," it was Jade's turn to look puzzled; "I thought you told me once that the Daleks possessed their own version of a Tardis."

"They do become able to build a Tardis," the Doctor replied, "but that is in a future time from now."

"Which means," Jade's face took on an excited look, "that they are successful in stealing the secret now!"

"Not necessarily, my dear," the Professor interrupted, "Just because the Daleks become able to travel through time in the future, it does not follow that they obtained the information from us, nor does it follow that they are successful in stealing it from us."

"Isn't there a way of finding out?" asked Jade, disappointed that her theory had been shot down in flames.

"Yes!" the Doctor sounded a little impatient, "we can refer to the knowledge stored in the Matrix! But, surely the Timelords could have done that without my help."

Professor Gann looked at the Doctor apologetically, "I am sorry that you have been summoned, but the High Council felt that your great experience with the Daleks could help supplement the information held in the Matrix."

"Wait a minute though," Jade suddenly had another idea, "If we know the Daleks are here to take some information that we don't want them to have; why don't we just stop them from getting it? That way, we might prevent them from learning the secret of time travel in the future!"

"My dear Jade!" retorted the Doctor, "It would be very nice if we could do that! Unfortunately, you are failing to grasp the idea of time travel! If the Daleks are meant to travel through time at some stage in the future, then we cannot interfere with that! If we do, it could upset the whole balance of time itself!"

"The Doctor is right, Jade," said the Professor, "It seems likely that, because he has encountered them in the future and they had their own Tardis; then they are meant to gain that knowledge at some point in their history. We cannot alter that, as our own prime rule is that we must not change history!"

"Right!" the Doctor exclaimed, "Let's get on with it, shall we?"

The three of them left the room where the Doctor's Tardis had materialised and walked down a long corridor to a metallic door at the end. The Professor placed the palm of his hand on a panel to the side of the door and it quickly slid open revealing a small room with a console in the middle; not unlike the control room of the Tardis.

They crossed the room and stood facing the console. The Professor spoke again, "Doctor, are you willing to join with the Matrix and increase its knowledge of the Daleks?"

"Very well," replied the Doctor, "Though I'd rather go two rounds with a Zanuvian Swamp Devil! You know how exhausting the task can be!"

The Professor gestured to the Doctor to sit in a black chair to his right. He threw a switch on the control panel and a round, metallic helmet above the Doctor descended to cover his head.

"He will be alright, won't he?" queried Jade with a worried frown.

"Don't concern yourself, my dear!" replied the Professor, "He's in safe hands."

As the Professor worked the controls on the console in front of him, the Doctor began to fidget in his chair and then became very still. Jade watched with great apprehension as the Doctor appeared to go completely rigid and quiet.

"Are you sure he's alright?" Jade asked, nervously.

"Yes!" replied the Professor, "He's fine, don't worry! I'll soon stop the link with the Matrix if it gets too much for him!"

After a few minutes, although it seemed like a lifetime to Jade, the helmet lifted off the Doctor's head and he continued to sit in his chair, staring straight ahead.

"Doctor, are you OK?" Jade's concern was obvious.

The Doctor did not answer; he looked pale and shaken by his ordeal.

"What's the matter with him?" Jade asked the Professor.

"Give him a minute or two," he replied, "the link often has this effect; he'll be his old self in a moment."

As if on cue, the Doctor snapped out of his trance and looked at Jade, "Yes, of course!" he began, "We'll need our combined power to avert the timeshift reaction! But, at what cost to countless civilisations?"

"What are you talking about, Doctor?" asked Jade.

"Yes," added the Professor, "the timeshift reaction? What is that?"

"My dear Professor," the Doctor continued, "I know its way off in the future; but the timeshift reaction is an event destined to happen from the moment the universe was formed. Some might call it the end of time itself, although, in reality, it is a new cycle of time. However, since the reaction will cause everything we know to cease to exist, it could be described as the end of time. It will take a very great amount of power for the Timelords to avert this catastrophe; the Timelords alone do not have enough at their disposal; it will require a combination of forces!"

"The Daleks?" exclaimed Jade, wide-eyed.

"Yes," continued the Doctor, "The Daleks will join the Timelords and the effects of the timeshift reaction will be avoided."

"But," the Professor interrupted, "why would the Daleks help the Timelords? We all know they have no allies; only enemies!"

"Ah!" the Doctor spoke as if he had just discovered the answer to a riddle, "Faced with their own destruction, even the Daleks would work alongside another race to survive. The problem is, after the Daleks discover the secret of time travel, many civilisations suffer as a consequence of their knowledge as they are able to go back in time and alter history."

"But," Jade said excitedly, "if they do that, surely it would alter the course of events and cause a catastrophe anyway!"

"I am glad that you have a grasp of the problem, my dear!" the Doctor said, smiling at Jade, "However, it is not that simple. You are right in saying that meddling with time is to be avoided, however, for all their faults, the Daleks possess a high intelligence; they would not risk causing a disaster in their own future. You might say they would help shape history by their actions. After my link with the Matrix, it is obvious what we must not do; we must not prevent the Daleks from discovering time travel. If we did, it would trigger a sequence of events that could upset the balance of time."

Suddenly, the door of the room opened and a dark-haired man dressed in a blue robe entered, "Professor!" he exclaimed, "The Daleks have reached the walls of the city! They are demanding entrance! What shall we do now?"

Professor Gann gave a wry smile, "We had better go and greet them, hadn't we?"

With the Professor leading the way, the party made their way through the city to a large room on the outskirts, where a number of members of the High Council of the Timelords were already gathered. A door on the far side of the room opened to admit the deputation of Daleks.

The Black Dalek, or Supreme Commander as he was more correctly titled, glided to the middle of the room and faced the assembled Timelord party. The other Dalek drones stood in a line; three abreast behind their leader.

"Timelords!" began the Black Dalek, "We are the Daleks! We have come to your planet to learn the secret of time travel. You will give us the knowledge to build a machine to enable us to travel in time and space."

One of the High Council of the Timelords replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "And what if we refuse?"

The Black Dalek looked directly at him and spoke again, "Then your city will be destroyed!"

"Ah!" the Doctor spoke, "If you destroy the city, then how will you discover the secrets that you desire?"

The Black Dalek trained its eye-stalk on the Doctor, "We Daleks have eternal patience! We will take all the records from your data banks before you are exterminated! Then, we will learn your secrets for ourselves."

"What if we help you?" asked another member of the High Council, "Will you guarantee our safety?"

"Yes," the Dalek replied, "If you help us, you will be spared."

The Doctor spoke again, "I have had dealings with the Daleks before! Your race cannot be trusted; why should we help you when your guarantees are worthless?"

The Black Dalek looked at the Doctor again, "The Daleks are the masters of the universe! We could conquer your planet if we chose to. You will have to accept that we will leave you in peace in return for the knowledge that we seek; you have no choice."

"You must give us time to consider your demands!" said the first member of the High Council, "Please leave us now and we will discuss it further."

"Very well," the Black Dalek turned to leave, "We will give you one day of your time to decide. After that, if you do not agree to our terms, we will attack!"

After the Dalek party left the room the Doctor was the first to speak, "Well, I propose that we give the Daleks only limited information on time travel; just enough to enable them to build a Tardis and no more. That should satisfy them without giving away all our knowledge."

"Yes," agreed Professor Gann, "As it seems we have no choice in the matter, I think your suggestion is the best option."

So began an uneasy alliance as the Timelords and the Daleks worked alongside each other to provide the information that the robotic creatures hungered for. All the work took place on board the Dalek spaceship as the Timelords had insisted, as part of the deal; that the Daleks would not be allowed to enter the city again. Eventually, after many months of hard work, the Daleks were ready to return to their home planet of Skaro.

On board the spaceship, the Daleks summoned the Doctor, the High Council and Professor Gann to their control room. All the top brass were there; the Emperor, the Black Dalek and the leader of their scientists; the Red Dalek.

The Emperor was the first to speak, "The leader of our scientists tells us that we have all the knowledge we require about time travel," he looked at the Red Dalek, "Is this correct?"

"Yes," replied the Red Dalek, "We are now in a position to build our own machine; which will take us through time and space."

"Good!" exclaimed the Emperor, "We will return to our planet to start work on our project. As agreed, we will leave your world in peace. But, be warned, once we have the power to travel through time, we will be invincible! We will send out invasion forces to all corners of the universe and become its masters. We will crush all resistance, exterminate all opposition; we will be the supreme rulers over all life forms!"

The Doctor watched as the spaceship receded into the Gallifrean evening sky. He kept his eyes on it until it became no more than a speck in the pink, misty canopy above the surface of his home planet. He shivered as he realised that, for so many inhabitants of so many worlds, life would never be the same again!

...next chapter: The Timeshift Reaction


	2. Chapter 2

Empire of the Daleks

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Doctor Who and its characters, which belong to the BBC._

_-O-_

Chapter 2 – The Timeshift Reaction

After saying their farewells on Gallifrey, the Doctor and Jade climbed aboard the Tardis and stood before the main console in the control room.

"Well, there's one good thing to come out of our stay," said the Doctor, "I've had time to repair the problem with the directional modulator circuits on the Tardis."

He looked at Jade and smiled; but she looked perplexed, "That's very good, Doctor, but what does that mean?"

"Simple!" answered the Doctor, "Now we can steer the Tardis through time and space! Since the circuits were damaged a while back, I haven't been able to pinpoint our target accurately."

"Right then!" exclaimed Jade, "Where are we going?"

"Why, to the end of time, of course!" replied the Doctor as he set the controls.

The Tardis de-materialised with its customary whirring, humming sound and, moments later, reappeared in a bleak, barren landscape under a dark blue sky.

The Doctor studied the view-screen with a pensive look on his face, "That's not right," he said, thoughtfully, "No, that's not right at all!"

"What's the matter?" asked Jade.

"We're in the right time zone," the Doctor fiddled with the instruments on the control panel as he spoke, "but we have moved somewhere else in the universe! We are no longer on Gallifrey!"

As he looked at the view screen again, a sudden flash of lightening forked through the dark sky, illuminating the landscape for a couple of seconds.

"Yes, I get it now," the Doctor continued to fiddle with the controls, "The end of time! Why didn't I think of it before?"

"Think of what? Doctor, you're not making any sense!" Jade looked exasperated.

"Well, we're very close to the timeshift reaction taking place," the Doctor explained, "The instruments cannot function as normal here! All the laws of physics are turned on their head! That's why we've ended up here...wherever this is!"

"So...we're lost!" Jade looked resigned to their fate.

Another flash of lightening caught the Doctor's attention on the screen, "Well, the instruments report that the atmosphere seems tolerable; but I don't care much for the weather!"

"Maybe we'd better wait for the storm to pass before we go exploring," Jade suggested.

"Yes," replied the Doctor, "No point in getting wet! Hello, what's that?"

As another flash lit up the area outside the Tardis; the Doctor caught sight of a metallic dome nestling beneath some nearby hills. "We will have to go and investigate when it gets light," he said. As if in response to his statement, a red sun appeared above the horizon and the whole landscape became illuminated with a strange orange glow.

"Well, that's the quickest sunrise I've ever seen!" said Jade.

"Yes!" replied the Doctor, "Most interesting!"

Suddenly, another flash of light filled the viewing screen; it was like lightening but more intense.

"Ah!" cried Jade in astonishment, "It looks as if the storm hasn't passed yet!"

The Doctor was still fiddling with the controls on his console, "I don't think we have a storm exactly, Jade, at least, not in the meteorological sense."

"What is it then, Doctor?"

"I think it is a lot more serious than that. But I'd like to make some investigations before I reach a conclusion. Come on!"

The Doctor flicked a switch and the doors of the Tardis swung open. The two intrepid travellers ventured out onto the strange planet's surface. Jade was the first to speak when they were outside, "It's not very hospitable, is it?"

"No, it isn't," replied the Doctor, "I think the sooner we get to that dome over there, the better!"

They set off towards the dome, bathed in the eerie orange light which shone all around them. Every now and then, there was another brilliant flash and the dome ahead of them lit up as if it was being photographed with a giant flash gun. They trod carefully as there were many cracks and potholes which could trip them up quite easily. There was very little vegetation apart from some dry looking scrub dotted about. Soon, they reached the wall of the giant dome.

The Doctor looked up at the structure. From where he and Jade stood, it curved upwards away from them like a great, smooth metallic hillside. He clenched his hand into a fist and knocked on the surface. There was no sound; other than a dull thud.

"Hmmm!" he said, deep in thought, "I don't recognise this metal...if it is metal, of course!" He took the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and pointed it towards the dome. "It's very thick, obviously meant to withstand a lot of force!"

"Doctor," Jade said, quite uninterested in the question of the dome's covering, "How are we going to get in?"

"Well," replied the Doctor, "I think we will have to scout around for an entrance, don't you?"

Without waiting for a response, the Doctor started off around the dome's circumference, and Jade quickly followed. The outside seemed to be completely smooth with no visible signs of access. They had walked about half way around when suddenly the Doctor stopped and spoke, "There! Looks like some sort of door! Let's take a look!"

With an almost childlike enthusiasm, he hurried towards a rectangular panel in the dome's side. Looking around the edge, he found what he was looking for. A control console consisting of just two buttons; he pushed one of them and the panel slid upwards to reveal a chamber which looked like the inside of an elevator. Cautiously, he stepped inside.

"Come on, Jade, it's alright!" he said.

Jade followed him inside. On the wall, there was another control which appeared to be a duplicate of the one outside. The Doctor pushed a button and the panel slid shut. Almost immediately, a door at the rear of the chamber slid open, revealing a long corridor.

"Well, we're in!" exclaimed the Doctor, "Shall we see where this leads?"

"Might as well," replied Jade in a matter-of-fact tone, "We have come to investigate, after all!"

They started off down the passageway, its walls, floor and ceiling had a metallic look; similar to the outside of the dome.

There were no other features to interrupt the bland sameness all along its length. They soon reached the door at the far end which slid open automatically as they approached. As they walked through, they were both taken aback by what they saw. They were standing on a platform on the edge of a huge, circular cavern. The cavern, in fact, filled the interior of the huge dome. The platform extended all the way round in a great circle and, at regular intervals, slopes led from it to the floor of the dome below; in the centre of this floor stood a huge array of complex machinery, some of it so tall that it towered above them towards the roof.

"It's incredible!" gasped Jade, looking all around the dome in wonder.

"Yes!" the Doctor replied, "Quite a feat of engineering!"

As they studied the interior of the giant dome, Jade suddenly caught sight of a movement out of the corner of her eye, "What was that?" she asked.

"What was what?" the Doctor answered with another question.

"I saw something move," Jade pointed towards the floor of the dome, "Down there, it looked like a man!"

They set off cautiously down the nearest ramp. Jade kept watch on the spot where she thought she had seen the figure. As they drew closer, Jade could see that it was the entrance to a walkway between two huge banks of machinery.

As they reached the entrance, they both saw a man who was busy adjusting controls. He looked human, but had an enlarged head which was completely bald. He turned his head and spotted them.

"Halt! Who are you?" he asked in a startled voice.

"I am the Doctor and this is Jade!" The Doctor gestured with his hand to indicate his companion.

The stranger stood very still, as if in a trance. He appeared to be receiving a message from an unseen force. Suddenly, he produced a gun-like weapon from his belt and pointed it at the Doctor and Jade.

"You will not move!" he barked, "Stay there, or I will shoot!"

Once more, he seemed to be picking up a signal.

The Doctor turned his head towards Jade and spoke under his breath, "I think our friend is either a telepath or is under someone else's control. Have you noticed how he seems to be tuning into thought waves?"

"Yes," replied Jade, quietly.

Suddenly, a rasping voice startled them. They turned to see a Dalek standing on the circular platform, "Why are you here?"

"I should have thought that was obvious!" answered the Doctor, as if scolding a small child, "I have been sent by the Timelords and I am here to help with the final preparations for the timeshift reaction!"

"I have not been informed by the Supreme Commander!" the Dalek said, almost as if it was trying to excuse its ignorance, "Wait there!"

The Doctor and Jade waited at gunpoint as the Dalek moved over to an instrument panel and began speaking with its masters. After it had finished, it rolled down the ramp towards them and addressed them again, "I have no confirmation of your presence here. You will wait in a secure room until I can verify your story!"

"But we have very little time!" argued the Doctor, "We must make preparations for the forthcoming reaction!"

"Silence!" You will obey the Daleks! Move!"

The alien man shook his gun in the Doctor's direction, indicating that he should walk towards a door below the circular platform. He and Jade were ushered through the door and into a small room with a metallic bench along one wall.

"You will wait here," instructed the alien man, "I will bring you some food in a while."

The man disappeared through the doorway and the door slid shut behind him.

"I don't think much of their welcoming committee!" said Jade sarcastically as she sat down on the bench.

The Doctor, meanwhile, was examining the door, "Mmm! No sign of any controls; they must all be on the outside."

"Which planet have we landed on, Doctor?" asked Jade.

"I don't know; I've never come across a chap like our friend out there; I presume he is a native."

"Well then," Jade continued, "determined to get some answers, "What do you think this dome is?"

"At a guess, I'd say it is a stabilising station."

"Oh great, I'm glad I asked!" Jade rolled her eyes skyward.

The Doctor could see that Jade did not have a clue what he was talking about, so he explained, "It's like this, Jade; when the timeshift reaction hits, a lot of these stations will be needed throughout the universe to create a stable environment so that anyone or anything under the influence of the station will survive the effects of the reaction."

"That's the combined power you were talking about; the Timelords and the Daleks working together?"

"My dear Jade, you've got the idea, well done!"

"But, what is this 'timeshift reaction', exactly?"

"Well, to put it as simply as possible, it all stems back to the 'big bang' theory."

"You mean, when the universe was created, all the stars exploding out from a central point?"

"Yes."

"But, where does this reaction come into it?"

"If you stop interrupting, Jade, I'll explain!"

"Sorry, Doctor!"

"Basically, there will come a time when the stars will reach a limit of expansion and, when that happens, they will stop and then begin contracting back to their point of origin; it is that moment when they reverse..."

"The timeshift reaction!"

"Exactly, Jade, you've got it! The whole universe will be thrown backwards. It's a bit like reversing magnetic poles, or converting matter into anti-matter. As I said before, everything will cease to exist and, over the next few million years, planets will be formed and civilisations will be born; a new cycle of time!"

"How will these stabilising stations protect everyone?"

"They will create pockets of 'stable space'. Everything within that pocket will survive and can then undergo a controlled conversion and emerge into the new cycle."

The door suddenly slid open and the alien man walked in, carrying a tray. He set it down on the bench between the Doctor and Jade. The Doctor looked at the strange, vegetable-like objects on the tray, "What are these?" he asked.

"They are called croubles!" answered the man. "We used to be able to grow them outside, on the surface of Devos, but now we can only grow them inside the dome; in the food factory."

"How long have the Daleks been here on Devos?" the Doctor enquired.

"For a long time! They were here long before I was born. They and the Timelords have been constructing this station for as long as I can remember; it has always been my destiny to work here, in the service of the Daleks. All children on our planet are given the Daltrol soon after they are born."

"The Daltrol?" the Doctor queried.

"For someone who says they were sent by the Timelords, you don't seem to know very much about our planet!"

The Doctor used his wits and came up with a quick reply, "They did not tell me which planet I was being directed to; only which station."

"I see!" the man seemed to swallow the story, "The Daltrol is a small disc attached to our brains by the Daleks. It helps us communicate with our masters and keeps us free from disease; we are very fortunate to be treated in this way. All Devans are in debt to the Daleks for their protection and it is an honour to serve them!"

"Well, thank you, er..."

"Kull, my name is Kull."

"Thank you for the information and the food, Kull."

"I must be getting back to work; the Daleks are almost ready to...arrgh!" Kull suddenly stopped speaking and put his hand to his forehead; he was obviously in pain.

"Are you alright?" asked the Doctor.

"I must go now!" said Kull as he rushed out through the doorway. The door slid shut once more.

"Well," said the Doctor, "We now know why Kull was picking up messages in his head, poor chap!"

"Isn't it awful," said Jade, "A race of humans being controlled by the Daleks like that!"

"I'm afraid they will not be the only ones, Jade. I suspect that the Daleks have probably done the same to civilisations all over the universe, especially since we gave them the power of time travel. I wish there could have been some other way; rather than assisting them to create an empire!"

They ate their meal almost in silence. The vegetables were quite tasteless but nourishing. Almost as soon as they had finished, the door slid open again and a Dalek entered, "You will come with me...MOVE!"

The Doctor and Jade were escorted to the edge of the dome. There was an open doorway in its outer wall leading to one of the Daleks' time machines.

"You will be taken to our main control centre for questioning!" barked the Dalek, "Board the ship...NOW!"

The two travellers moved forward, followed by their Dalek guard; and soon found themselves inside the vessel. Several Daleks were operating various controls and watching the many instruments on the panels in front of them. The door of the ship closed and the Doctor and Jade felt a slight vibration as they dematerialised.

"Where are we going?" asked the Doctor.

"We are heading for our base on Skaro!" the Dalek guard replied, "There, you will be interrogated by the Supreme Commander!"

As the Dalek finished speaking, the time machine materialised within a city on the Daleks' home planet. No sooner had they arrived, than a Dalek voice filled the air, "Attention all Daleks! Our city is under attack from an alien force! All Daleks report to central control immediately!"

The guard looked at the Doctor and spoke, "You will wait here. We will lock this vessel from the outside to prevent your escape. Once we have exterminated the enemy, you will face questioning by the Dalek Supreme."

All the Daleks filed out of the time machine and closed the door behind them. Jade looked at the Doctor and spoke, "What do we do now, Doctor?"

"Let's see what's going on, shall we?" the Doctor said, fiddling with some controls by a viewing screen. It took him a few moments to find the correct button, but soon a picture appeared on the screen. It showed a scene on the outside of the city and a spaceship near the city perimeter. The Doctor continued to adjust the controls and soon another picture materialised; this time a view inside the city. A Dalek could be seen moving along a corridor and, as it reached the far end, a humanoid figure jumped out from a previously hidden vantage point and attacked the Dalek from behind! The suddenness of the ambush made the Doctor gasp, but the creature that he could see intensified his surprise.

"What is that?" asked Jade, realising that the Doctor had recognised the creature.

"That, Jade," replied the Doctor, "is a Cyberman!"

...next chapter: The Battle at the End of Time


	3. Chapter 3

Empire of the Daleks

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Doctor Who and its characters, which belong to the BBC._

_-O-_

Chapter 3 – The Battle at the End of Time

The Cyberman attached a small, electronic device to the Dalek's casing. It clung on like a limpet and, immediately, the Dalek began to spin round and appeared disorientated.

"Am out of control! Am out of control!" it cried as it crashed into the nearest wall. Then, it stood motionless and quiet.

The Cyberman pressed a button on the front of his suit and began to speak, "Unit 5 to control. Our jamming device is successful; we can defeat the Daleks. As long as we can get close enough to attach it to their casings, they have no defence against our invention!"

The Doctor and Jade had witnessed the scene on their viewing screen. As Jade looked on, intrigued by these latest events, the Doctor was deep in thought, "I wonder why the Cybermen are attacking the Daleks."

"Who are these Cybermen?" asked Jade.

"They are beings as malevolent and cunning as the Daleks; but they have brilliant scientific minds; that's why I can't understand them trying to defeat a race that are currently helping to avert a catastrophe which will ultimately cause their own destruction. We've got to find out what is going on!"

"But how?" Jade looked puzzled, "We're trapped in here!"

"Ah! But if we can listen in on the Cybermen's wavelength, we might discover something!"

So saying, the Doctor began adjusting the instruments on a console near the screen. After working on them for several minutes, he managed to tune in to a voice emanating from the Cybermen's spaceship outside the city.

"Attention!" droned the voice, "Once we have defeated the Daleks, we will take over their city and activate the force field to protect us from the reaction! Once it has taken place, we will emerge into the new universe as its supreme rulers!"

"So!" exclaimed the Doctor, "That's their little game, is it?"

"They're power mad!" observed Jade.

"Yes...and I bet the Daleks have a similar plan up their metallic sleeves too!"

"Look, Doctor!" Jade, her eyes glued to the monitor, had spotted a large convoy of Daleks heading out of the city towards the Cybermen's ship. They looked like a body's defence system moving in formation to protect the heart of the city from invasion. As they approached the vessel, it disgorged a large force of Cybermen who raised their weapons and pointed them at the advancing enemy. Both parties started firing simultaneously. At the same moment, a flash lit up the sky as if it were part of the action below and, as the battle continued; several more flashes illuminated the scene. Cybermen and Daleks were being hit in almost equal numbers, exploding with a bright display of sparks and flame. Some of the enemies had reached each other now and, whenever a Cyberman could lay his hands on a Dalek, he would attach a jamming device to its casing. Suddenly, the surviving Cybermen began to withdraw to their ship.

"That's odd," said the Doctor, still intent on the action before him on the screen, "they appear to have the Daleks on the run and now they're retreating!"

Most of the Daleks were either standing as burning shells or moving erratically as the Cybermen's devices sent them spinning out of control. Then, appearing as if by magic from the flashing light display in the sky above, came a second Cyber spaceship which bathed the surface below with a wide, blue beam. Any Daleks caught in this strange shaft of light were immobilised instantaneously and, as the beam passed them, it was obvious that they were dead!

Meanwhile, inside the city, another force of Cybermen were busy trying to ambush more Daleks so that they could destroy them with their jamming devices. They wanted to dispose of them with the minimum of damage to the city as they would need the protection of the stabilisation equipment later on.

The Doctor and Jade looked on as the remaining Cybermen withdrew into their spacecraft, having killed all the Daleks outside the city. The sky still flashed with violent lightening.

"It looks just like the storm on Devos!" said Jade.

"Yes," replied the Doctor, "It is obviously an effect of the timeshift reaction; the time must be getting closer."

They were interrupted by the Cyberman voice again, "Attention! We have defeated the Daleks! Most have been destroyed and we are now scouring the city for the few isolated survivors."

"What are we going to do now, Doctor?" asked Jade with a worried frown, "We're trapped!"

"Not necessarily! We are in possession of a time machine! All I have to do is familiarise myself with these instruments and I can plot a reverse course to take us back to our own Tardis."

At that moment, the door of the vessel slid open and a Cyberman stepped inside. It looked at the Doctor and Jade.

"Doctor!" cried Jade, "It's too late!"

"Halt!" said the creature, pointing a weapon at the two companions, "What are you doing here?"

"We are enemies of the Daleks," the Doctor replied, trying to side with the Cyberman, "they captured us and locked us in this cell."

The Cyberman motioned them towards the door, "You will come with me for questioning."

Outside the time machine, the Doctor and Jade could hear the sounds of fighting raging in the city all around them; Dalek guns were firing and loud bangs and crashes could be heard from all directions.

As they walked down a long corridor, followed closely by their captor, the Doctor turned to Jade and spoke under his breath, "I think that our friends have been a bit optimistic in thinking that they have defeated the Daleks!"

Suddenly, from behind them, they heard the crackle of a Dalek's gun and the Cyberman guard crumpled to the ground.

"Quick, run for it!" shouted the Doctor, making the most of the confusion of the moment.

They started to run down the corridor but, as they reached a junction, the Dalek fired again and the Doctor let out a yelp of pain and, just around the corner; out of sight of the enemy, he collapsed on the floor.

"Doctor!" cried Jade, in a state of panic, "Are you alright?"

"It's my legs," the Doctor gripped his thigh, "I can't feel my legs!"

Just then, a voice from behind Jade made her jump. She turned to see a young blond man wearing a black uniform moving towards her.

"Quick, let me help you. Get him in here."

So saying, he picked the Doctor up in his strong arms and carried him through a doorway, hotly pursued by Jade.

"Close the door, quickly!" said the stranger to Jade, who hastily pushed a button to shut it just before the Dalek turned the corner. Outside, in the corridor, another Cyberman ambushed the Dalek and the three companions inside the room could hear the Dalek's strangulated cry as a Cyberman's jamming device disabled it.

The rescuer carefully placed the Doctor against a wall and put his finger to his lips to indicate that he and Jade should remain silent. They heard the Cyberman march into the distance.

As they waited, Jade took in their surroundings. They were in a small, dark room which contained many metallic boxes; obviously a storeroom of some sort. When it seemed safe to do so, the stranger spoke, "I think it's gone, that was close!"

The Doctor was next to speak, "Thank you, young man. I thought I was done for!"

"Yes!" added Jade, "I didn't think we'd get out of that one!" she looked at the young man, "Where did you come from?"

"I come from a planet near here," replied the stranger, "My name is Orleo. My people have been at war with the Daleks for centuries. We were attacking the city when those silver men appeared and there was chaos. I became detached from my unit. We've suffered heavy casualties; I don't know if any of my people have survived. The silver men were firing at us as well as the Daleks. I suppose they thought we were on the Daleks' side. They weren't stopping to ask questions."

The Doctor thought that the young man had a familiar look about him, "Are your people the Thals?" he asked.

"No," replied Orleo, "We are Thallons; but our ancestors were Thals. They were driven off Skaro thousands of years ago by the Daleks and exiled to the planet Skallon."

"Well, I'm pleased to meet you, anyway; and thanks once again!" the Doctor shook Orleo's hand.

"How are your legs?" Orleo enquired.

"I'm getting the feeling back; let's see if I can stand up!"

With Orleo and Jade's help, the Doctor rose unsteadily to his feet and tottered around the small room, holding onto the metal containers to support himself.

"Can you make it back to the time machine?" asked Jade.

"You have a time machine?" asked Orleo with a look of amazement.

"Well," explained the Doctor, "Yes and no! I do possess one of my own but, at the moment, we are borrowing one from the Daleks!"

Orleo looked even more amazed at this, "That's impressive! I'll help you to get back to it."

"That's very generous of you," the Doctor replied, "but first, I'd like to find out where the stabilisation equipment is. I'd like to surprise our friends out there!"

"I can help you there!" said Orleo, "That room is next to this one! We studied some plans which were smuggled out of the city before we attacked."

They opened the door and looked up and down the corridor. There was no sign of either Daleks or Cybermen, so they stepped out and set off down the corridor to the next doorway. While the Doctor and Jade went inside, Orleo kept watch by the door.

The large room was filled with complex machinery. All around the walls, there were dials and controls. The Doctor headed for a console in the centre of the room.

"Yes," he said, looking at Jade, "I think this looks promising!"

"What is it, Doctor?" asked Jade.

"No time to explain now, my dear! Let's just say that the Cybermen, or the Daleks come to that, will not be the masters of the new order of things!"

With that, the Doctor pulled off the cover on one of the eight sides of the console and produced his sonic screwdriver. He made a few adjustments inside and then replaced the panel.

"Come on!" he said, starting towards the door.

As they made their way cautiously back, the Doctor still limping, but improving all the time, they could hear the battle still raging all around them. They could also hear a sound like thunder above and, underneath their feet, the ground began to tremble and shudder.

"Doctor," said Jade, as they walked, "I don't understand. If that was the stabilisation equipment that you were tampering with, why wasn't there a guard posted on it?"

"I imagine the Daleks are all occupied; trying to fend off the attack by the Cybermen."

"Cybermen?" queried Orleo, "Is that what they are?"

"Yes! Ah...here it is!" said the Doctor as they reached the time machine. The door was still open and they all stepped inside.

"Can I come with you?" asked Orleo, "I don't hold out much hope of survival here!"

"Of course you can, my dear fellow," answered the Doctor, "if it hadn't been for your intervention, I probably wouldn't have survived myself. How do you feel about having another person aboard, Jade?"

Jade looked at Orleo. It was the first time that she had been able to get a proper look at him since their somewhat hurried meeting. He looked quite handsome with his short, very fair hair and piercing blue eyes. He had already demonstrated loyalty to his new friends and seemed a trustworthy companion.

"Fine by me!" Jade confirmed.

"Good!" replied the Doctor, "Welcome aboard, old chap!"

Just as the Doctor finished speaking, the sky outside illuminated with a steady bright light and the ground began to shake with the beginnings of an earthquake. On the screen, the Cybermen could be seen hurrying in droves from their spaceships to the city. Suddenly, bright red forked lightening began to flash in the sky against the white background. With each flash, the ground below seemed to change into an x-ray view and then back again. The Cyberman voice started up once again, "All Cybermen! Into the city...now! The time has come; we are about to activate the stabilisation process! This is your last warning!"

"We'd better get moving!" said the Doctor as he quickly set the controls and threw and switch in front of him. As the time machine dematerialised, the bright light grew even more intense and flooded the city.

"Will we make it?" Jade asked, with a worried look.

The Doctor seemed unconcerned, "I've set the controls to arrive back on Devos a few seconds after we left there. This time machine is on a straight reverse course."

"Where are we going?" asked Orleo, "Where's Devos?"

"That's where we left the Tardis!" answered Jade.

"The Tardis?" Orleo looked puzzled.

"Yes, my time machine," replied the Doctor, "Ah! We've arrived!"

The machine landed on Devos next to the dome. The three travellers disembarked and immediately made off towards the Tardis. They hurried as quickly as they could, trying to dodge the potholes in the ground below their feet. The whole time, the sky flashed as violently as it had done on Skaro.

"Come on, you two!" shouted the Doctor, trying to make himself heard above the noise of the timeshift storm, "We haven't much time left!"

Suddenly, a tremor rocked the ground and threw them all off their feet. They covered their heads with their hands as rocks flew around as if they were weightless. They stayed flat out until the shock had passed.

"Is everyone alright?" asked the Doctor.

"Yes, Doctor," replied Jade, "How about you, Orleo?"

"Yes, I'm fine!"

They all scrambled to their feet again; the Tardis was now in sight.

"Let's get inside before another one hits!" shouted Jade.

They finally reached the doors of the ship and the Doctor unlocked them. As they all hurried inside, Orleo looked around in disbelief, "It's so big inside!" he said.

The Doctor gave a wry smile as he set the controls. He wondered how many times that he had encountered the same astonishment from people; on their first look inside his machine.

"Hold on tight!" said the Doctor, as he threw the lever; catapulting them into time and space again.

"What will happen on Skaro now, Doctor?" asked Jade.

"Well, now that I've sabotaged their stabilisation equipment, the Daleks and Cybermen will not survive the timeshift reaction; at least, not on Skaro! That might prevent them from taking over the new universe after the reaction is over. Still, the Daleks are spread all over the universe; they have had thousands of years to build and expand their empire and to build stabilisation stations. I'm sure many will survive in pockets. As for the Cybermen, who knows? I'm sure they've built up an empire too. You could say the battle will continue beyond the end of time!"

...next chapter: The Edge of Time


	4. Chapter 4

Empire of the Daleks

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Doctor Who and its characters, which belong to the BBC._

_-O-_

Chapter 4 – The Edge of Time

The Doctor studied the instruments on the console in the Tardis' control room while Orleo and Jade talked to each other and began to discover something about one and other's pasts.

"So," said Jade, "How did you get from your home planet to Skaro?"

"We had a spaceship," replied Orleo, "Over the years since my people were exiled from Skaro, our scientists have developed a new technology which enables us to fly from Skallon to Skaro; the two planets are in quite close proximity, after all."

"Hmm!" the Doctor looked pensive, "Something seems to be wrong with the materialisation circuits. Jade, could you give me a hand for a moment?"

Jade cut short her conversation with Orleo and joined the Doctor at the console, "What's the problem, Doctor?"

"Could you go round the other side and pull that red lever for me?"

"Yes, of course I can." So saying, Jade took up her position on the far side of the control panel.

Orleo crossed over to them, "Anything I can do?"

"Yes," the Doctor replied, "keep an eye on the monitor screen and give me a shout if anything appears, would you?"

Orleo looked at the monitor, which was blank, "Alright, but there's nothing on it at the moment."

On his own side of the console, the Doctor held on to a lever with one hand and pushed a button with the other, "Right, Jade; throw the red lever now!"

As Jade did as she was instructed, the Tardis made a strange whirring sound and the three travellers could feel a strong vibration beneath their feet.

"Doctor!" Orleo cried, "There's a big sphere on the screen, surrounded by blackness; it looks like it contains loads of stars!"

The Doctor looked up at the monitor and let out a gasp of surprise, "Well, well! This has never happened before."

"What is it, Doctor!" asked Jade.

"I think we've gone into a timewarp! I've heard about this effect but I've never experienced it before!"

"Can we do anything about it?" Jade looked apprehensive.

"That rather depends on how we managed to get here in the first place. I imagine the effect has been caused by the timeshift reaction; the Tardis probably dematerialised at the exact point of the shift and has no fix on the co-ordinates that I set. I'll have to recalculate and try again."

The Doctor busied himself with his task of adjusting the controls to try to solve the problem. Suddenly, he was interrupted by a cry of surprise from Orleo, who was still gazing at the monitor screen, "Doctor! Look!"

All three looked at the screen in amazement. There, quite close to them, was the familiar shape of a Dalek time machine.

"How did they get here?" asked Jade.

"Yes," replied the Doctor, "and why? If we are in a timewarp, then there should be nothing else here, unless..."

"Well, Doctor, unless what?" Orleo asked in frustration.

"Unless the Dalek machine dematerialised at the point of the timeshift reaction as well; they were probably trying to move backwards in time, just like us."

"And now they're trapped, just like us," said Jade, wistfully.

"Oh come now, Jade, we're not trapped, we've just slipped a time track or two. I'll soon have us back to where we should be!"

"But I thought you said you'd never been in this situation before; so how are you going to get us out of it?"

"My dear Jade, if I were incapable in getting out of unfamiliar situations, I would not be here to tell the tale. As with any situation; one simply has to apply one's mind to the problem at hand. Now, where's my sonic screwdriver?"

"He's impossible when he's like this!" Jade said to Orleo, "We may as well have something to eat while Professor Boffin here sorts things out!"

Jade and Orleo helped themselves to a meal from the food replicator as the Doctor fussed around the control console, every now and again muttering to himself and cursing when something did not go to his liking. Once they had finished their food, the two companions watched him and, every now and then, looked at the Dalek time machine on the screen. Suddenly, the vessel seemed to glow with a green light and then it vanished.

"Doctor, look!" shouted Jade.

"Oh, don't interrupt me now, Jade!" said the Doctor, crossly.

"But, it's the Dalek machine, it's gone!"

The Doctor looked up at the screen in disbelief.

"Ah! They've found the way out, have they?" The Doctor operated some controls on the console and gave a sigh of contentment, "Good, I've managed to lock on to their signal. Hold on, you two, this might be a bumpy ride!"

The Tardis shuddered into life and all the three passengers had to hang on to a solid object to avoid being thrown off their feet.

As they watched the screen, multi-coloured strands of light rushed past, as if they were hurtling along a brilliantly lit tunnel. This went on for several minutes and each of them felt a little dizzy for a time. Then, the screen went blank and the Tardis became calm once more.

"What's happening?" Jade was concerned.

"We're about to land," the Doctor replied, studying his instruments again.

Sure enough, they heard the familiar sound of the Tardis materialising and looked at the monitor to see where they were. The sight that confronted them was awe-inspiring. They were in a grassy field with trees on every side. In the distance, huge buildings towered into the sky; they shimmered with translucent colours.

"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Jade.

"Almost like home!" added Orleo.

"My instruments tell me that we have moved back in time," said the Doctor.

"Do you know where we are?" asked Orleo.

"Well, it looks like we've landed on Earth; around the twenty-seventh century!"

"Earth, where's that?" queried Orleo.

"My home!" Jade replied, "And in the future, too, although; it looks a lot better than it did when I left!"

"Yes, Jade, we have landed five centuries on from the neutron wars."

"It's good to see that they rebuilt the planet after the wars," Jade had a misty-eyed look, "maybe they learnt something, after all!"

"Well," the Doctor had an urge to explore, "the radiation looks normal and the air is perfectly breathable, shall we go for a stroll?"

So saying, the Doctor opened the doors and the three travellers walked outside. The Doctor took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, "Yes, it's nice to see the old terra-firma again!"

"Look over there!" Jade suddenly cried out. Her two companions Looked in the direction of her pointing finger and immediately saw the Dalek time machine nestled beneath a clump of nearby trees.

"They must have arrived just ahead of us after I followed them out of the timewarp," observed the Doctor, "We'd better keep our heads down in case they spot us!"

They all returned to the safety of the Tardis and the Doctor closed the doors. He activated the viewing screen so that they could all keep an eye on the alien vessel.

"There doesn't seem to be much activity around their ship," said Orleo.

"No!" replied the Doctor, "It's very quiet; in fact, it's too quiet. I don't like the look of this at all."

They all waited for a while to see if any Daleks would disembark from their time machine, but there was no sign of movement. The Doctor fidgeted impatiently, drumming his fingers on the edge of the control console as he surveyed the scene outside. When he could not stand the suspense any longer, he decided on his next move, "Let's go over and take a closer look, shall we?"

"Do you think that's wise?" asked Orleo, We all know the Daleks can't be trusted; it may be a trap!"

"You can stay here if you're afraid!" the Doctor answered.

"Me; afraid of a Dalek!" Orleo replied, indignantly, "I've fought more Daleks than you've ever seen!"

"I doubt that, young man!" the Doctor said, with a wry smile, "But, no matter! Come on!"

"Wait for me!" said Jade, always ready for adventure.

The Doctor opened the doors once again and the three of them approached the Dalek time machine cautiously. Before long, they had crept up to the door of the vessel but there was still no sign of life.

"Listen," said the Doctor, "can you hear anything?"

"Not a thing," replied Orleo, "should I?"

"There should be a faint hum, but I can't hear it."

Jade put her hand out to touch the door, but cried and jerked her hand away again.

"What's the matter?" asked the Doctor.

"Try putting your hand on it!" answered Jade.

The Doctor reached out and tried to touch the door, but his hand passed straight through as if the metal did not exist. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed, "That explains why our friends are so quiet, they're not here!"

"What are you talking about?" Orleo looked confused, "They're right in front of us!" He also tried to touch the machine, unsuccessfully,

"See!" the Doctor said, smugly, "They look as if they have landed but, in reality, they are still trapped in the timewarp!"

"But, how can that be?" queried Jade, "We're not still trapped, are we? I mean, we've landed; we're solid flesh and blood!"

"Is it something to do with moving back in time; out of the timewarp?" Orleo asked.

"The timewarp!" the Doctor said, as if he had just solved a riddle, "There can only be one explanation! They can't materialise fully because they already exist in this time zone!"

"What do you mean Doctor?" asked Jade.

"The Daleks aboard this vessel must already be on this planet in this time zone. It's one of the basic principles of time and space mechanics; a body cannot exist more than once in one place at the same time! It's a temporal paradox!"

"Then that means," reasoned Orleo, grasping the Doctor's train of thought, "that the Daleks are already around here somewhere!"

"Well done Orleo! You've got the idea! I think we have some investigating to do!"

Leaving the time machine behind them, the three travellers set off towards the beautiful buildings that they had first seen on their arrival. They crossed the field where the Tardis had landed and entered a wood which separated them from the buildings. It was quite difficult, in places, to make headway through the undergrowth, but they pressed on, determined to reach their goal. Eventually, they came to the edge of the trees and found that they were very close to the nearest structure. It was a tall, square block about twenty stories high with a metallic blue sheen all over. They found themselves at an entrance and walked inside, letting out gasps of amazement at the intricate architecture in the large lobby of the building. The place appeared to be deserted and, as they looked around, the Doctor spotted a screen with a button beneath it. He pushed the button and the screen came to life, displaying a list of names which scrolled slowly upwards. A soft, female voice emanated from the device, "Please state the name of the person that you have come to visit, or the nature of your business here."

Suddenly, an elevator door slid open and a girl appeared; wearing dungarees and a matching cap. She was blonde, quite thin; and had pretty, elfin features. She eyed them warily for a moment and then spoke, "What are you doing here? You Outlanders are not allowed in the city; there'll be terrible trouble if they find out!"

"My dear girl, we are not Outlanders, whatever they are, we're visitors from far away," the Doctor replied.

"I know!" the girl spoke in a child-like manner, "You've escaped from the Daleks, eh? Won't do you no good, they'll catch up with you!"

"So," the Doctor said, "The Daleks ARE here!"

"Course they are...where've you been? You had a bang on the head or something?" She giggled as if she had just cracked a joke.

"Where are the Daleks, exactly?"

"Look, it's not safe here," the girl said, "Come with me!"

The girl led them through a door and down some steps into a basement. Once there, the Doctor repeated his question about the whereabouts of the Daleks.

"The Daleks are everywhere, everyone knows that! Except the city, of course; they don't have any reason to bother the Immortals."

"The Immortals? Who are they?" the Doctor asked.

"You don't know much, do you?" the girl giggled again, "They run the city; I am owned by Dorraine; she lives on the seventh level in this building."

"Dorraine is one of these Immortals?"

"Yes!"

"What do you mean; she 'owns' you?"

"I am a slave; all Immortals have slaves to look after them!"

"But, that's terrible!" the Doctor looked horrified; "I thought slavery had been abolished centuries ago! Don't you want to be free?"

"Ha! Free to do what? Be banished to the Outlands?" the girl seemed upset by the thought of it, "Or get caught by the Daleks? At least, in the city, I've got a roof over my head and plenty to eat. Are you hungry?"

All three travellers nodded.

"You wait here then," said the girl, "I'll bring you some food. You'll be safe down here for now!"

After the girl left, the Doctor turned to Jade and Orleo, "Well, at least we won't starve!"

"Do you think we can trust her?" asked Orleo.

"Oh, I think so. I don't think she would have anything to gain by turning us in. I don't think she's even capable of being devious."

"I can't believe these lovely buildings are used for slavery!" said Jade.

"These places may look beautiful from the outside," replied the Doctor, "but they conceal some sinister secrets. I don't like what has happened to the Earth since I was last here. Something very strange is going on!"

...next chapter: City of the Immortals


	5. Chapter 5

Empire of the Daleks

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Doctor Who and its characters, which belong to the BBC._

_-O-_

Chapter 5 – City of the Immortals

The slave girl entered her owner's dwelling unit and headed for the kitchen, but was stopped by the owner before she reached her destination.

"Where have you been, Leanne?" asked the owner, Dorraine, a slim woman with dark, close-cropped hair and a severe-looking face.

"I went down to the basement to check that the rubbish disposal unit was operational."

"You don't need to do that; the maintenance drones take care of waste disposal! No wonder I couldn't get an answer when I called you. You'd better watch your step; or I'll turn you over to the Daleks!"

"Oh please, mistress, don't be angry! What can I do for you?"

"I want a drink; an orange cocktail special."

Leanne quickly went to the kitchen to comply with her owner's orders. When she returned, Dorraine was lying on her couch, surrounded by comfortable cushions. Leanne set the drink down on the table in front of her.

"I won't need you any more tonight; you can have some free time until breakfast tomorrow. Don't you think I'm very good to you, Leanne?"

"Oh yes, mistress, I am ever so grateful to you for letting me have free time!"

"Good," Dorraine looked at Leanne; she was suspicious of her servant's activities, "though I don't know that you deserve it, running off without telling me where you're going. Well, off you go then; and if you stay out late; don't wake me up when you come back!"

Leanne left the room and headed back to the kitchen. She took a loaf of bread and some fruit and, being careful not to be caught by her owner, slipped out to the elevator and returned to the lobby. She then made her way back to the basement.

The Doctor thanked Leanne for the food, "Would you like to join us for some?" he invited.

"Yes, alright then," replied Leanne. She sat with them in the gloomy surroundings of the basement, munching the bread and fruit. As they ate, the Doctor asked many questions about her life in the city and about the whereabouts of the Daleks.

"It's about seven hour's walk to their nearest outpost," Leanne said in answer to the Doctor's latest question, "Though why you should want to go there I can't understand; you're bound to be caught!"

"You let me worry about that," replied the Doctor, "Let's just say I've had plenty of experience with Daleks. How long have they been on Earth?"

"For about a hundred years now...according to the Immortals."

"Yes, the Immortals," the Doctor furrowed his brow, "Why do they call them that?"

"Because they are! The Elders are about five hundred years old; and they never die! None of the Immortals ever die!"

"How do they go on living?"

"I don't understand it...I'm not clever, you see. That's why I'm a slave girl. I know they have this surgery in the building where they go when they get injured; then they come out alright again. I once saw one of the Elders shot down by a Dalek outside. The other Immortals took him to the surgery. I thought he was dead for sure but, no, back he came again next day; as good as new!"

Their conversation was suddenly cut short by a noise at the top of the stairs, then; Dorraine appeared, accompanied by four men dressed in dark blue uniforms.

"There she is!" shouted Dorraine, "I knew she was up to no good!"

"Oh no!" cried Leanne, "She must have seen me come down here!"

Dorraine addressed the four guards, "Take them to the surgery! We can make use of their life essence when the surgery opens tomorrow morning."

The guards pointed their weapons at the group and motioned them to climb the stairs. They returned to the lobby and were herded into a room on the ground floor, which looked like an operating theatre. As the uniformed men stood covering them with their guns, Dorraine spoke to them in an authoritative tone, "You will be locked in here until morning. Then, when the surgeons come on duty, your life essence will be used as a gift to the Immortals."

"What gives you the right to use us as you see fit?" retorted the Doctor, angrily.

"Remember that you yourselves have no rights! Only the Immortals have rights in the city; anyone else must serve as we dictate! You are invaders from the Outlands and, as for Leanne; she should know better and must learn her lesson."

"But," the Doctor pressed on, "we are not from the Outlands! We are travellers in time and have come to help free the Earth from the reign of the Daleks."

"You lie!" Dorraine snapped, "Only the Daleks know the secret of time travel. You Outlanders always come up with the most ridiculous stories; but that is one of the best I've heard yet in all my three hundred years!"

"But," Jade interjected, "it's true! We have travelled in time. We've seen what happens to the Daleks in the future...on their own planet!"

Dorraine laughed, "Space travel as well, eh!"

"You can mock," the Doctor said, "But Jade here is from Earth; five hundred years ago!"

"You really are deluded!" Dorraine sneered, "The Earth was ravaged by the neutron wars five hundred years ago...she probably would have perished; let alone ended up here...five hundred years later!"

"The Immortals appear to have survived the neutron wars," the Doctor countered, "How do you explain that?"

"Our ancestors found the key to preserving life; by using the life essence of their enemies!" Dorraine explained, "It has become more refined and sophisticated over the years; we take it from the Outlanders under controlled conditions these days...their remaining years are added to our lives; it's all very civilised and painless."

"Civilised?" the Doctor looked horrified, "What you are saying is; you murder other people so that you can carry on living!"

"Murder?" cried Dorraine, "Come, come; let's not get emotional about it! It is not murder; as I said, your essence will live on in the Immortals; for the good of Earth! It is an honour to live on in the Immortals!"

"You're nothing but parasites!" scolded the Doctor.

"Enough!" replied Dorraine, angrily, "I don't have to stand here, justifying myself to Outlanders!"

With that, she turned and left the room, followed by the guards. They shut and locked the door behind them.

"Well," the Doctor said, "we do seem to have got ourselves into a spot of bother!" Then, turning to Leanne, he said, "I'm sorry that you've been dragged into this; you were only trying to help us, now you've lost your home!"

"Don't worry!" answered Leanne, "After what I've found out today, about the Immortals, I wouldn't want to live with them anymore! I should have gone with Lothan to the Outlands when I had the chance!"

"Lothan?"

"Yes, my brother. He didn't want a life of slavery; still, he probably didn't survive in the Outlands."

"Doctor!" Orleo was studying a grille in the wall, "Come and look at this!"

The Doctor crossed over to Orleo and inspected the square mesh covering a duct which was just big enough for a person to crawl through.

"If we get this cover off," said Orleo, excitedly, "we may have found an escape route."

"Well done, Orleo, let's see if it will shift!"

In no time, they had removed the grille and, with the Doctor leading the way, the four of them crawled along the duct until they came to another mesh grille which separated them from the outside world. The Doctor struggled with the grille and, when it would not budge, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and soon removed the obstacle and they all emerged onto a grassy bank next to the building.

"Right!" said the Doctor, still a little out of breath from his exertions, "which way should we go from here, Leanne?"

The Doctor, Jade and Orleo followed their new friend as she walked off in a northerly direction. At first, the lights from the city helped them along but, as they moved further away from the city, it became too dark to see where they were going, so they stopped to rest and wait until first light. They arranged to take it in turns to sleep while someone kept watch, not that the look-out could see anything in the inky blackness! Eventually, dawn came and they decided to quickly put some more distance between themselves and the city. The scenery became less green and lush until finally, they were walking through a barren, dusty landscape. Suddenly, Leanne stopped and looked around.

"What's the matter?" asked the Doctor.

"We've reached the Outlands!" answered Leanne, "I've never come this far out from the city before!"

"Look over there!" Jade was pointing towards something, "It's a little town!"

They all looked in the direction of Jade's pointing finger; sure enough, about a mile away, they could see a collection of ruined buildings surrounding a bombed-out old church.

"Well," said the Doctor, "We might find some answers there!"

They all approached the buildings cautiously until they stood in what was once a town square. The houses, shops and church had fallen into disrepair long ago and, at best, gave a little shelter from the elements. Suddenly, a young man with long, dark hair and a thick growth of stubble, appeared from one of the nearby buildings, which looked as if it could once have been a large public house. He was pointing an old-fashioned rifle in their direction, "What do you want here?" he asked in an aggressive manner.

"We mean you no harm," answered the Doctor, holding his hands aloft, "we have escaped from the city and need a place to rest."

The man studied them suspiciously, "Escaped from the Immortals, eh? Not many people have done that! You all slaves then, are ya?"

"No! Well, Leanne here was," the Doctor gesticulated towards his companions, "But Jade, Orleo and myself are enemies of the Daleks. I am the Doctor."

"Well, you can't stay here! We haven't enough food to support any more people in our colony!"

"That's alright, we don't want to be a burden to your people, we just need somewhere to catch our breath, that's all!" the Doctor explained.

The man lowered his weapon and smiled for the first time, "Well, I don't suppose you'll do any harm."

"Tell me," enquired Leanne, "Have you heard of a man called Lothan Willis?"

"Lothan Willis!" cried the stranger as if he had solved a puzzle, "He's the leader of our colony! What do you want with him?"

"He's my brother; I haven't seen him for years. Please tell me where he is."

"Come with me," the man said.

The man led the group up the worn steps and into the ruined church. As he entered, he called out, "Lothan! Are you there? I've someone here who says she's your sister."

In the aisle ahead of them, a man appeared wearing ragged clothes, his hair a shock of untidy blond curls. The Doctor could see, by his facial features, that he and Leanne were indeed related; though with his untidy looks, he did not have the appearance of a leader of men.

"Lothan!" cried Leanne, who immediately ran up the aisle towards her brother. The rest of the party looked on as the pair embraced and Leanne burst into uncontrollable sobs.

"Leanne!" Lothan was amazed to see his sister again, "I can't believe it! How did you get away from the Immortals?"

When she had calmed down and stopped crying, in between gulps, she explained how the Doctor and his friends had escaped from the city. Lothan, still with one arm wrapped around his sister, extended the other towards the Doctor and shook his hand, "You have saved my sister from the Immortals; how can I ever thank you?" As he spoke, he also shook Jade's and Orleo's hands in turn.

"You're very welcome," the Doctor smiled, "There is something you could do for us! You can tell us where to find the nearest Dalek outpost; we have some unfinished business with them!"

"The Daleks!" Lothan looked shocked, "You'll need to be careful if you go near them; if they catch you, you'll be put into one of their work camps."

"What work are they getting people to do?"

"They're building a gigantic dome quite near here," Lothan answered, "Nobody really knows what it is for. But, they've had hundreds of people working there for a long time. We think they are building others all around the world. Some people say they've been taken from one to another on the Daleks' spaceships."

"I thought they travelled in time machines," the Doctor said.

"They do use them to go back to their own planet; but for shorter distances they use their flying saucers."

"You seem to know a lot about them, Lothan!"

"I was captured by them once and worked on their dome for a while. They fit their slaves with something called a Daltrol; which controls their minds. I was lucky though, I managed to escape before they got around to operating on me!"

"Well, if you can tell me how to get there, we'll make a start!"

"I'll do more than tell you!" Lothan replied, "We are about to go on a food raid tonight. I'll get you into a camp near the dome; we often sneak in and out at night to steal food which the Daleks store for their slaves. It's our only way of getting anything to eat. The only food which will grow is in the city and we can't go there or we'll become fodder for the Immortals. Nothing ever grows in the barren soil out here...not since the neutron wars."

"How do the Daleks get the food for their slaves?"

"It's supplied by the Immortals," Lothan said, "In return; the Daleks leave them and their city alone."

The Doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "So, that's why the Immortals are left to their devices! They serve a purpose for the Daleks, nothing more; and I bet I know what those domes are for, too!"

...next chapter: The Dalek Time Plan


	6. Chapter 6

Empire of the Daleks

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Doctor Who and its characters, which belong to the BBC._

_-O-_

Chapter 6 – The Dalek Time Plan

The Doctor shivered in the cool night air as he sat in the dark with Orleo, Jade, Leanne and Lothan. At Lothan's insistence, they were all wearing black clothing and Balaclava hoods. Lothan had wished that his sister had stayed behind in the comparative safety of the village, but she had not wanted to be parted from him again so soon, even though there were risks involved in their mission. They crouched by the fence surrounding one of the Dalek camps; which was home to some of the workers on the nearby stabilisation dome.

"We've cut through the fence here," said Lothan, "so it's easy to slip into the camp and get the food from the store. Doctor, I'll show you and your friends the shortest way to the entrance of the dome, but, from there on, you're on your own!"

"That's fine with us," whispered the Doctor, "We're grateful to you for your help."

"I don't need thanks; you reunited me with my sister and I'll always be in your debt!" Lothan peeled the pre-cut fence back and ushered them through.

The small party crept quietly through the darkness until they reached the storeroom. Lothan indicated the route that they should take from there, "Good luck!" he whispered as he gripped the Doctor's hand in a firm handshake.

"And to you!" replied the Doctor, as he and his companions slipped away, leaving the brother and sister to collect the food for their colony.

All three travellers moved almost in silence towards their goal. Jade wanted to use the torches that Lothan had given them, but the Doctor insisted that they must make their way in the darkness so as not to draw attention to themselves. As they approached the dome, they became aware of a Dalek spaceship parked almost on the opposite side of the dome from them. The Doctor signalled his intention to go towards the ship and the others followed him. As they neared the vessel, they could hear Dalek voices which stopped them in their tracks. The area around the ship was illuminated by its many lights and they watched as the Black Dalek spoke to one of its subordinates at the foot of the access ramp, "Prepare for lift off; we will go to the field near the city where our time machine has failed to fully materialise. It is important that we discover the information that it holds about the point of the timeshift reaction. If we have that knowledge; we will be able to predict this future event and plan any situation to our advantage. We may also learn something to help us improve the building of the stabilisation equipment in the domes."

The two Daleks ascended the ramp, which retracted behind them and the door of the ship sealed. There was a sound of engines firing up and then a rush of air as the saucer-like vessel rose gracefully into the night sky. In a moment, the light and sound receded as it travelled towards its destination.

"Well," said the Doctor, "we'd better head back towards the Tardis. The Daleks must not be allowed to find out about their fate in the timeshift reaction on Skaro, otherwise the whole future will change and the balance of time itself could be disturbed."

The three of them set off in the darkness and pressed on, armed with Lothan's gift of torches. It took hours to walk back to the Tardis, through the Outlands, past the city and through the forest. As they came in sight of the Tardis, dawn was breaking and they could see the Dalek spaceship standing in the field. A low mist surrounded it, making it look as if it was floating on a cloud. Several Daleks were moving around the time machine which, if anything, looked more ghostly than before, especially in the mist.

"What are they doing, Doctor?" whispered Jade.

"I think they're trying to find a way of making the time machine materialise fully. I hope they don't succeed, though, or there will be trouble."

The three travellers circled around in the morning light until they were near the ramp of the spaceship. There were no guards posted, so they climbed the ramp, looking carefully about in case any Daleks were nearby. They made their way to the control room but, just as they went to enter the room, a voice from behind them made them stop in their tracks.

"Halt!" the Dalek rasped, "Stay where you are!"

The Black Dalek, on hearing the voice, appeared from the control room and faced the Doctor, "You have escaped from the dome! You will be locked up until we return to the works, where you will be given extra work duties as punishment!"

The Doctor and his two companions were ushered into corner of the control room and a guard trained its gun on them while the Black Dalek issued orders over the radio to the ones outside the ship. When it had finished, the Doctor spoke, "This plan of yours; you do realise that if you attempt to make that ship materialise, then you will be wiped off the face of this planet!"

"Do not try to trick the Daleks," the Black Dalek retorted, "Humans do not understand time travel!"

"Neither do you, by the sound of it!" the Doctor replied, disdainfully.

"Silence; you will be held in a cell until our work is complete."

The Dalek guard took the three travellers to a small room and locked them in. Once they were left alone, the Doctor spoke, "I wish I could convince the Daleks that their plan won't work."

"Never mind," said Orleo, "You have tried to warn them; there's not much else you can do."

"You're probably right; they think I'm just an escaped slave worker from the dome!"

"That dome looked like the one we saw on Devos," remarked Jade.

"Yes," replied the Doctor, "they are building stabilising stations here on Earth too. Well, let's see if we can break out of this tin box!"

The Doctor felt around the door and found the lock. He reached in his pocket and produced his sonic screwdriver. After making a few adjustments, he pointed it at the lock and the door slid open. Carefully, the three of them crept into the corridor outside. There were no Daleks to be seen, so they quietly made their way back to the ramp, all the time looking out for their enemies. The Daleks were obviously engrossed in their work as they had not posted any guards on the exit. The Doctor signalled to Jade and Orleo to follow him and they hurried down the ramp into the field below. They then made a dash for the Tardis and managed to reach the safety of their ship.

Once inside, the Doctor flicked a switch to activate the viewing screen so that they could keep an eye on the Daleks' activity outside. Suddenly, a light beam emanated from the Dalek spaceship and aimed at the partly materialised time machine. Gradually, it changed in intensity until it appeared to mingle with a glow surrounding the vessel. Then, the glowing aura expanded until it engulfed both Dalek ships.

"What's happening?" asked Orleo.

"They're going ahead with their plan to try to make their Tardis materialise," replied the Doctor.

Even as he spoke, the Black Dalek and several of his subordinates could be seen leaving the spaceship and heading towards their time machine; all the time enclosed in the strange, ghostly glow. They reached their goal and opened the door of the vessel, then went through to the inside.

"They've done it!" cried Orleo in surprise, "They've got into the time machine!"

Before the Doctor or Jade could respond to his remark, the glow suddenly became less distinct and both Dalek ships disappeared as it faded away.

"Where have they gone?" asked Jade.

"I did try to warn them!" replied the Doctor, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, "as soon as the Daleks met themselves on that vessel, they created a temporal paradox! They couldn't both exist at the same time in the same place."

"So, have they ceased to exist?" asked Orleo.

"No," replied the Doctor, "They have gone back into that time-warp and they will never be able to materialise again, the laws of time travel will see to that!"

"So, they're trapped forever!" Jade looked astounded.

"Yes," the Doctor gave a little chuckle, "They've cooked their goose; to use one of your Earthly expressions!"

"So, what do we do now?" asked Orleo.

"I think we should go back to Gallifrey; so that I can tell the Timelords about my latest adventures!" The Doctor threw a switch on the console to set them off on another journey. The Tardis dematerialised and left planet Earth behind.

The Doctor studied his instruments as Jade and Orleo watched the monitor. Suddenly, Jade cried out in alarm, "Look, Doctor, it's the Dalek time machine and spaceship!"

Sure enough, the two vessels were floating in a black void in space.

"Oh no!" exclaimed the Doctor, "I've forgotten to reset the Tardis' tracking device; we've followed the Daleks back into the time-warp again!"

"You mean," Orleo interjected, "that when you followed the Daleks out of the time-warp before, you didn't switch off the control that allowed us to track them back to Earth?"

"That's exactly it," replied the Doctor, "I'm sorry; in all the excitement it must have slipped my mind! Still, I'm sure I can find another way out of the warp. Now, let's check the Ometron Circuits and see if that helps us!"

The Doctor set to work, oblivious to everything else around him. Jade and Orleo looked on helplessly, unable to comprehend the workings of the Doctor's brilliant scientific mind.

As the time passed, the two companions occasionally looked at the screen, but there was no sign of any change in the status of the two Dalek ships. Then, without warning, a red light began to flash on the control console and the Doctor let out a little cry of surprise.

"What's the matter, Doctor?" asked Orleo.

"That's the space and time breach indicator," answered the Doctor, "it means that something is interfering with the stability of the space-time continuum! This is very serious indeed!"

"Doctor, look!" shouted Jade, who was still staring at the screen.

As they all watched, a large hole appeared in the blackness outside. It was as bright as a star and began rotating like a whirlpool, getting ever bigger until it engulfed both Dalek vessels and the Tardis. The three travellers were thrown off their feet in a sudden jolt as the vortex sucked them in. In a few moments, they had all lost consciousness!

The Tardis rolled around in a swirling rush as the vortex catapulted it headlong through space and time. It went on for a long time, as it's three unconscious occupants lay sprawled on the floor of the control room. Eventually, the Tardis came to rest as it materialised on a planet somewhere in the universe.

The Doctor opened his eyes and tried to focus on the console in front of him. As he began to gather his wits, he managed to pull himself up; using the console for support. He looked across the room and saw his two companions; they were both just coming round.

"Are you alright?" he enquired. A nod from each of them confirmed that they had not suffered any serious injuries. He then checked the controls to see if he could ascertain their whereabouts.

"Where are we, Doctor?" asked Jade, rubbing her head.

"I don't know! We have come to rest on a planet somewhere, but instruments have all gone haywire! There's something strange about the magnetic field here; the gauges seem to be reading in reverse to normal!" the Doctor caught his breath, "NO! It can't be!"

"What is it Doctor, what's happened?" Orleo asked, as he crossed over to where the Doctor was standing.

"If I'm not mistaken, we've landed in a time zone after the timeshift reaction has taken place! We are, in effect, in a 'reversed' universe!"

"But, how could that have happened?" Jade looked concerned.

"Some combination of events has brought us here. The strangest things can happen when you come out of a time-warp. Then, there was the business of someone tampering with the space-time continuum. I'll have to investigate and get to the bottom of this!"

Jade looked at Orleo ruefully, "Here we go again!"

After checking the atmosphere outside the ship and deciding that things were in order to venture outside, the Doctor opened the doors of the Tardis and led his two companions out into a landscape of grass and trees, not dissimilar to Earth. They looked all around; and then Jade spotted something glinting in the sunlight by a clump of trees. She pointed it out to the Doctor.

"Come along," he said excitedly, as he set off towards the nearby object.

As they approached, they realised that a large, metallic object was buried in the soil. They could see a door in a larger panel. The Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver at the door and it slid open. "We've found something interesting," said the Doctor, "Shall we see where this leads?"

Without waiting for an answer, he walked through the doorway, hotly pursued by Jade and Orleo. They were in an entrance tunnel, just big enough for one person to walk through; narrower at the top than at the bottom. It was lined on both sides by dim lights and both the sides and the floor were completely smooth. They came to another door, this time it was operated by a push button which the Doctor pressed as he approached. The three travellers walked through the doorway and stopped dead in their tracks. They had entered the large interior of a spaceship; and the whole place was filled with Daleks!

...next chapter: Death of the Empire


	7. Chapter 7

Empire of the Daleks

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Doctor Who and its characters, which belong to the BBC._

_-O-_

Chapter 7 – Death of the Empire

The Doctor, Jade and Orleo stood still for a few moments, expecting to be attacked by dozens of the assembled Daleks; but, there was no sign of movement!

"I think they're dead!" exclaimed the Doctor, "They certainly don't seem very lively! Maybe they came out of the time-warp and didn't survive."

Suddenly, a voice from the past sent a shiver down the Doctor's spine! "They're not dead, Doctor; just awaiting their rebirth!"

The Doctor could see a hideous figure approaching down an aisle running between the amassed Daleks. Jade and Orleo thought it the top half vaguely resembled a human, but the bottom half looked like the base of a Dalek.

"Davros!" the Doctor spluttered, "I might have known! Who else would be mad enough to meddle with the space-time continuum?"

"Mad?" answered Davros, indignantly, "Come now, Doctor! Creative: maybe, inventive: certainly, but mad? You seem to forget that my creations went on to rule the old universe; and now I intend to see to it that they rule the new one, too!"

"I suppose you protected yourself in one of the stabilising stations when the timeshift reaction took place?"

"Nothing so amateur! I thought you would credit me with more ingenuity than that, Doctor! I have learned many secrets about time travel since the Timelords were kind enough to help the Daleks build the first crude machine. I have been able to use the time-stream to my advantage! Unfortunately, I could only protect myself as I have not yet refined the process! Many of my Daleks did not survive, as you have witnessed here. However, I am about to put that right!"

"If you fully understood time travel, you would realise that meddling with the time-stream is to be avoided at all costs. It could have catastrophic consequences!"

"Ha! The time-stream is not for the faint-hearted, Doctor! I would expect this reaction from you; content to meander about the space-time continuum without taking any risks!" Davros, as always, was in no mood to listen to reason.

The Doctor was becoming exasperated, "But don't you realise that mixing the old order of things with the new is like mixing matter and anti-matter! All you will get is a huge explosion and everything will cease to exist!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Davros was still adamant that he was correct, "I have created a corridor; using the time-stream, where things will be able to pass through safely!"

The Doctor was furious now, "I still say that no good will come of it and I intend to stop you from ruining this new universe!"

"Very well, Doctor, if you are going to try to stop me, I will have to put you somewhere out of the way! Take them!"

The travellers turned to see two part-humanoid, part-robot guards standing behind them. They advanced, forcing all three to walk down the aisle between the motionless Daleks and through into a smaller chamber. Suddenly, a door slid shut from above, imprisoning them.

"Well," said the Doctor, "We seem to have landed ourselves in hot water again!"

The Doctor paced around the cell, looking for a sign of a way out, when Jade spoke, "Who is this Davros, anyway?"

"I can answer that one!" said Orleo, "He is the creator of the Daleks!"

"How do you know that?" asked the Doctor.

"My people have a book of legends, passed down to us by our Thal ancestors. It is written that Davros created the Dalek machines to enable the Kaled race to survive after they mutated following the nuclear war on Skaro."

"You have a good grasp of your history," the Doctor said to Orleo, making the young man smile with pride, "I was there at the creation of the Daleks; and it looks as if I'm going to be present at their rebirth, too! Unless I can find a way to prevent it, of course."

"You amaze me, Doctor!" remarked Orleo, "I know that you can travel through time in your machine, but you seem to have been around when all the most significant episodes in history took place!"

"It's just a knack, really!" said the Doctor, with a wide grin.

"Have you got a knack for getting us out of here?" asked Jade, with sarcasm in her tone.

"Well, I have to admit, it appears pretty escape-proof in here. I'll see if my sonic screwdriver can open this door." So saying, the Doctor set to work, running his gadget around the edge of the door, but, after a short time, he gave up. "It's no use; the readings are all haywire; it's probably because we're in an 'alternative' universe!"

"So, what do we do now?" asked Orleo, becoming agitated at the lack of action.

"Don't fret, I'll think of something!" the Doctor tried to make light of their situation.

Just then, the door slid open and a guard entered the cell. He looked at each of them in turn and then addressed the Doctor, "You will come with me."

"Where are we going?" queried the Doctor.

"Davros wishes to speak with you."

As the Doctor walked through the doorway, Orleo and Jade went to follow, but the guard stopped them. "You will remain here!"

The Doctor and his guard walked along a short passageway and through a portal at the end. They entered a huge laboratory full of complicated electronic equipment. In the centre, Davros was adjusting some controls on a panel which contained many instruments and flashing lights.

"Ah, Doctor!" exclaimed Davros as he took his attention from his work, "Now that you've had time to reconsider; I thought we might have a little chat. You've a keen scientific mind, maybe we could work together on my little project!"

"Why should you need my help? I thought you had everything under control!"

"I have always treated the human race with contempt, but they do have one very true saying; 'two heads are better than one'! I'm sure you would agree, Doctor?"

"Yes, but only when those heads are in accord! What makes you think I could ever sanction the creation of a race that ruled the old universe so ruthlessly?"

"Let me put it another way, Doctor! Either you work alongside me, or you can stay in your cell and rot! The choice is yours!"

The Doctor pondered for a moment, and then saw a way of releasing Jade and Orleo.

"Alright, I'll do a deal with you! You allow my two companions to move freely around; and I will help you. Otherwise, I will go back to the cell and join them again."

"How do I know they will not sabotage my work?"

The Doctor played his next card, "They would not be capable of doing that! They do not possess the high brainpower that we have; they are no threat to you. You're not afraid of a couple of humans, are you?"

"Very well, I accept. Go and tell your friends that they are being released."

The Doctor returned to his two companions and opened the door of the cell, which was no longer locked.

"Doctor!" cried Jade, "Are you alright? Has Davros hurt you at all?"

"No, I've come to tell you that you can leave this cell; Davros is letting you go!"

"What, just like that?" Orleo said in disbelief, "How did you manage that?"

"I've won your freedom in exchange for promising to help Davros with his work."

"What?" shrieked Jade, "Doctor; you can't be serious! I can't believe you would betray us like this!"

"Listen," the Doctor spoke under his breath, "it's just a ruse to get you out of here. Don't worry; I intend to put a stop to Davros at the earliest opportunity! But, keep up the act that I've sold out to him, it'll look more convincing!"

"Doctor!" Jade shouted, catching onto his plan and winking at him, "You are a disgrace to the Timelords!"

"Yes," Orleo joined in and clenched his fists, "I ought to teach you a lesson!"

"Look, I know you think I've let you down," the Doctor spoke louder as, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Davros approaching, "But I had to get you out of here; it was the only way! In return, you must promise not to interfere with our work!"

"You owe the Doctor your freedom," Davros addressed Jade and Orleo, "I hope you will remember that and keep to your side of the bargain. If you do, I will keep to mine; and allow you to roam around freely."

The Doctor, Jade and Orleo went with Davros to the large laboratory. Once there, they studied the controls that activated the time-stream and allowed objects to pass from the old universe to the new one.

"I will show you how to access the time-stream, Doctor," said Davros, "It still needs a few final adjustments before I can bring my Daleks through to join us here. Then, they can begin to build a new empire!"

The Doctor looked on as Davros pushed a button on the console and started to operate several controls. He explained how the device worked and the Doctor nodded attentively. After a while, when he had grasped the principles of the thing, the Doctor was able to offer a number of suggestions to enable Davros to achieve his goal. He was gaining Davros' trust, especially as Jade and Orleo continued to heckle him for being a traitor! Finally, Davros threw a switch and a large portal opened at the far end of the room; like a tunnel surrounded by a bright yellow light. Then, through the mist inside the tunnel, a Dalek appeared and glided towards them. It stopped and looked them up and down.

"Success!" cried Davros, "It's alive! I can finally bring them through!"

"Where am I?" the Dalek asked, "Why have I been brought here?"

"You are about to embark on the creation of a new chapter in the history of the Daleks!" Davros answered, "You will have new worlds to conquer, new civilisations to enslave; you will be the supreme rulers once more!"

Soon, more Daleks began to file through the portal and they gradually filled the room. While Davros was busy counting them in and checking that they were unharmed, the Doctor reached underneath the control console and pulled out a small, translucent box which had a button on top. He hid the box in the pocket of his coat.

"Excellent, excellent!" said Davros, gleefully, "Now they can take up where they left off in the old universe!" So saying, he crossed back to the control console and began making further adjustments.

"Don't tell me you're going to bring more of them through!" exclaimed the Doctor.

"I still have the problem of getting the Dalek Supreme out of the time-warp," replied Davros, "He is still trapped inside the time machine; which is suspended in the vortex!"

"You won't be able to do that!" advised the Doctor, "not while there are two versions of him on board!"

"You're forgetting about my time-stream, Doctor! I can bring one out of warp and trap the other one inside with this device!"

The Doctor watched with apprehension while Davros fiddled with his instruments. Soon, the Black Dalek appeared through the portal and joined the army of creatures in the room. Davros threw a switch to disengage the time-stream but, because of the Doctor's sabotage, it did not work and, suddenly, a second Black Dalek appeared.

"No!" cried Davros, "Go back! You mustn't cross into this time zone! You're already..."

The Doctor grabbed the little box from his coat pocket and pushed the button on the top of it. He then took hold of Jade's arm, "Quickly, Jade," he said with great urgency, "Hold onto Orleo, now!"

Jade reached out and took hold of Orleo's arm just as Davros and his Daleks became completely motionless and quiet.

"What's happening, Doctor?" asked Orleo, slightly taken aback by Jade's sudden lunge.

"Davros has caused a time-lock," answered the Doctor, "by trying to bring the Daleks out of warp. I knew he'd try something like this! That's why I took this device out of his console, so he wouldn't succeed! Fortunately, while we all stay connected to this device; it allows us to jump the time-track so that we're not locked up too!"

"What do we do now?" queried Jade.

"Simple!" the Doctor replied, "All I have to do is reverse the signal on the console and Davros and his creations will return to where they belong!"

Jade and Orleo continued to hold on while the Doctor adjusted the controls. "There!" he said with satisfaction, as the cavern came back to life again.

"Doctor!" Davros cried as he began to move again, "What are you doing?"

"I'm sending you home!" replied the Doctor, "you don't belong in this universe!"

"No! You can't do this! I won't..."

The Doctor threw the switch on the console and the portal began sucking the Daleks back into their own universe.

"Quick!" the Doctor shouted to Jade and Orleo, "We'd better get back to the Tardis!"

Leaving Davros to his fate; being sucked back through the portal along with the Daleks, the three travellers ran back to their own Tardis and almost fell inside in their haste. When they were safely locked in, the Doctor pushed the button on the little box again and the Tardis began to be pulled towards the portal.

"Hold on!" cried the Doctor, "We're going home...but it's going to be a bumpy ride!"

The journey along the time-stream proved to be just as uncomfortable as on the previous occasion and, once more, all three of them passed out on the floor of the control room. When they did finally regain consciousness, they rose to their feet and the Doctor checked the instruments on his console and grinned broadly.

"Well," he turned to look at his two companions, "We're back in our own universe once again! If my gauges are now working correctly; the Tardis has automatically homed-in on Gallifrey. Come on Jade, Orleo, I'll show you the delights of my home world. I think we're due a little holiday, don't you?"

THE END


End file.
